1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a apparatus for manufacturing carbonated water by contact between carbonic acid gas and water, and more particularly apparatus for manufacturing carbonated water suitable for a carbonated beverage supplying apparatus such as an automatic vending machine or a dispenser or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art of the method for manufacturing carbonated water, the method for producing carbonated water by arranging an orifice at an upper part of a carbonic acid gas pressure container, injecting water from this orifice into the container and absorbing carbonic acid gas into air bubbles generated during the injection is well known in Japan Patent Laid-Open No.Sho 61-164630, for example.
However, this prior art method is carried out by absorbing carbonic acid gas in water under vibration of water injected from the orifice, so that the prior method has a drawback that carbonic acid gas may easily be separated due to a human body temperature upon charging carbonated water produced by the prior art method, and so a so-called pungent over-throating delicious carbonated water can not be generated.
In view of the foregoing, it also proposed to inject water through sprays arranged at an inside part of a side wall of the carbonic acid gas pressure container to get a sufficient dispersing distance for water to absorb carbonic acid gas. However, in case of the carbonated beverage manufacturing apparatus arranged in a limited space such as an automatic vending machine or a dispenser, it is not practical to make a large-sized carbonated beverage manufacturing apparatus to elongate the dispersing distance. In view of the above, it is already proposed to provide a method to get a water dispersing distance without making any large-sized device in which a convex surface is arranged in opposition to the sprays and the injected water is hit against the convex surface. However, even with such an arrangement as above, since almost all of the energies of water struck against the convex surface are absorbed in the convex surface, the water does not rebound from the convex surface, but drops along the convex surface and thus an expected effect may not be attained.
In addition, although there is another method for generating quite fine atomized fog by injecting water linearly from a nozzle into the carbonic acid gas pressure container and striking the water against the inner wall of the container, almost all of the energies of striking water are absorbed in the inner wall surface, the result being that the water is dropped along the wall surface, consequently this method is ineffective.
In addition, there is also another method in which cooled water is put in the carbonic acid gas pressure container, agitated by a stirrer arranged in the container and air bubbles generated at this time may gradually absorb carbonic acid gas. However, in the case that such a carbonated water manufacturing apparatus is used in the automatic vending machine or dispenser, a continuous and prolonged production of carbonated water causes a rapid reduction of the carbonic acid gas in the carbonated water in the carbonic acid gas pressure container, resulting in carbonated water that is unsuitable for dispensing.
The present invention is provided in order to resolve the aforesaid problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for manufacturing carbonated water rapidly and for producing carbonated water having a high rate of inclusion of carbonic acid gas and less dispersion of carbonic acid gas.
In the apparatus for manufacturing carbonated water in accordance with the present invention, water fed into the carbonic acid gas pressure container is mainly in a droplet form with its diameter being larger than 0.01 mm and smaller than 0.5 mm and is sprayed against water accumulated in the carbonic acid gas pressure container at a speed more than at least 5 cm/sec.